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Marriott suspects regret bombing
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Two Indonesians arrested on charges of bombing the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta have expressed remorse for the August attack and apologized to relatives of the victims. Speaking on Indonesian television, one of the men, Tohir, confessed his involvement and offered an apology. "I admit that I did it. I apologize to families of the victims sincerely without any pressure from others and to the Muslim community who have felt the slander and negative impacts of my actions," Tohir told SCTV television on Sunday. Tohir and alleged accomplice Ismail were arrested last Wednesday in West Java before being transferred to the capital Jakarta for further interrogation. Ismail simply said he "regretted" the August 5 bombing of the Marriott, which killed 12 people and injured more than 100. Police say the men have confessed to being part of Jemaah Islamiyah -- the Southeast Asian branch of the al Qaeda terror network -- and of being involved in the hotel bombing. Tohir is suspected of helping plan the attack and Ismail of buying the vehicle used in the blast. The two suspects provided police with information on the whereabouts of two top JI leaders, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohammed Top, two Malaysian explosives experts who are among Southeast Asia's list of most wanted terrorists. Police moved to arrest Azahari and Noordin last week after learning of their hideout in West Java but both men escaped and are still on the run. Public helpIndonesia's National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that both men were still in Indonesia and called on the public to alert police if they had any information on the whereabouts of the suspects. Police have warned they believe Azahari and Noordin are carrying explosives and may be planning attacks on Western targets in Indonesia. Da'i said he was confident both men were still on the Indonesian island of Java and police were closely monitoring the island's few checkpoints, according to the Antara news agency. Both men are alleged JI members and are wanted in connection with the Marriott bombing as well as the October 2002 nightclub blasts in Bali that killed 202 people. Azahari is accused of building one of the bombs used in the Bali attacks and of masterminding the Marriott blast. Noordin is believed to have helped finance the Bali attack and assisted in the building of the bomb used in the Marriott bombing. JI has been blamed for a string of attacks in the region in the past few years and several hundred of its members have been detained across Southeast Asia. Around 100 suspected Muslim extremists have been arrested in Indonesia, including over 30 for the Bali blasts and 14 -- including Tohir and Ismail -- in connection with the Marriott attack. Three Bali bombers have been sentenced to death while more than 20 have been jailed on terms ranging from three years to life behind bars. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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